Firstly, I would like you all to know that I am not an engineer. I did receive a flyer from the City of Richmond with my utility bill that outlined where a typical house uses water and I happened to read it. I did not know for example, that a typical home uses 32% of its fresh water in its toilets. Take a second to let that fact sink in.
Please stick with me here.....(absolutley no pun intended)
Research has found that a healthy human bladder can hold about 2 cups, which is about 1/8 of a gallon. The average older toilet tank uses about 3.6 gallons per flush. That is a ratio of about 28:1. It is astonishing that we would need to use 28 times the amount of fresh water to dispose of the little that our bodies actually use.
Newer toilets use only 1.6 for gallons for larger flushes and .6 gallons for liquid flushes. Those of you contemplating switching to the new lower flush units should know that many municipalities offer a rebate on your utility bill of $100 with proof of purchase receipt, a photo of the old toilet installed and a picture of the new one in its place. The resulting cost if you do it yourself is about $100 after the rebate.
An even more sustainable alternative is gaining traction in green thinking circles. Such is the case for a developing product which with the installation of a decorative water storage column next to your tub and toilet, which acts as a towel holder as well, your bath or shower waste water will be used for your toilet's flushwater. With one of these installations, throughout your house, you could easilly save some 25% of your domestic water use.
Do we really need to send clean drinking water equal to 28 times the water our bodies need, to dispose of our waste? Would not the grey water from our baths and showers suffice?
One company promoting such a solution is: ReFlowG2RS.... think #ReFlowG2RS and check out their short video at: www.twitter.com/ReFlowG2RS
